Which to use
“mein” is a pronoun and “mel” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #36,545
- “mein” frequency rank
- #2,843
- “mel” frequency rank
- 39388
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mein | mel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | meu, minha, pronome possessivo da primeira pessoa do singular: | substância doce, espessa e viscosa elaborada pelas abelhas nas colmeias |
Where the eye mixes mein and mel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses mein with mel
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mein is /maɪ̯n/ ouvir^(fonte ?) while mel is /ˈmɛɫ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (pronoun vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39388, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mein is recorded at frequency rank #36,545, classified as apron, pronounced /maɪ̯n/ ouvir^(fonte ?). mel is at rank #2,843, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɛɫ/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 39388, this pair ranks #26,885 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mein vs mel
Shared letters: em. Private to "mein": in. Private to "mel": l.
"mein" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "mel" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- mein ← emin · meinn · meni · mmein
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mein" for "mel" ever safe?
Which is more common, "mein" or "mel"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "mein" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #26,885 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mein" and "mel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mein vs mens". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #26,885 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.